Share your prayer rule here; what is yours like? What's a "good" prayer rule for the average 21st century American Orthodox Christian? My prayer rule is something like this:

1) Pray the Hours at 6, 7, 9, 12 and 3, although, I admittedly miss 6 and 7 most of the time.

2) Morning prayer which is probably the longest one of the day, it mostly consists in me apologizing for any offenses and asking for help with various problems, maybe sometimes combined with a few Psalms and/or selections from the Jordanville Prayer Book.

3) Small prayers throughout the day about various things.

4) Nightly prayers, which usually last about 10-15 minutes and are mostly composed of me bellyaching to God about my problems and everything fun having to be a sin, wanting pleasure. Usually concluded with Psalm 50(51).

What I DON'T do--which I should start doing sometime--is pray before and after meals, mostly because I don't want to make things weirder than they already are between me and my family.

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Until I see the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come, I will not believe.

Morning - Metanoias and Morning Prayers from book.Evening - Evening prayers from book, Jesus Prayer, and then bible reading. I use the UOC of USA Prayer book.

I at least try to make the sign of the cross before meals, but don't always remember. Getting better. If I'm alone I'll say prayer in my corner.

I was advised to say the Akathist to the Theotokos in the evenings as well, but have a hard time paying attention that long. I'm working towards it though. I'd like to incorporate more psalms into my prayer life. Thinking mayhaps the matins psalms with my mornings. I'll be asking my spiritual father tomorrow aboot that. Yup.

Everyday- a set of 5 small prayers first thing when I get up, followed by morning prayers in the back of the OSB, pray the Our Father at work when the hours should be read( if I don't work and I'm not lazy I pray the hour). Evening prayers from the OSB and a set of 3 small prayers in bed.

Once or twice a week I will do prostrations and spend 20-30 mins with the Jesus prayer.

"Ok, time to say my morning prayers.... wait.... im gonna get a cup of coffee first."

hours pass....

"well, time to go to work. i missed my morning prayers, so ill just make up for it during my night prayers..."

get home. hang out with my wife. go to bed.

repeat.

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

ok, my life doesnt actually suck as bad as that post would suggest. but unfortunately, it does happen sometimes.

the point is that i really suck at maintaining a consistent prayer rule.

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

Morning prayers before going out.A rosary (put together by myself) on the way home from school run.Midnight Office once I'm back home.Small Compline after the young one is in bed and I'm officially 'off duty' for the night.

Plus Vespers on the eves of feast days and Orthros on the day itself, and assorted extras depending on the feast coming up.

In practice, any of those (but definitely not all) may be skipped due to busyness and/or exhaustion. I'm not happy about that, of course, and I'm working on making time.

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'When you live your path all the time, you end up with both more path and more time.'~Venecia Rauls

My 'rule' has changed a lot over the years depending on circumstances. The hardest thing- and what I have been taught is the most important- is getting out of my head, and maintaining awareness of the Lord's presence and activity throughout the day.

"Ok, time to say my morning prayers.... wait.... im gonna get a cup of coffee first."

hours pass....

"well, time to go to work. i missed my morning prayers, so ill just make up for it during my night prayers..."

get home. hang out with my wife. go to bed.

repeat.

This is pretty close to reality for me, but in theory (when I actually get a chance), it goes like this:

Morning Prayer from "The Book of Common Prayer" from Lancelot Andrewes PressEpistle and Gospel according to the Old CalendarSext from "The Divine Office" by Angeles Press (if I get some peace during lunch at work).Evening Prayer from "The Book of Common Prayer" as above.Readings from the Lectionary contained in the above (days according to the Western Rite Calendar put out by ROCOR (old style)).Reading from the lives of the Saints for the day (from the app discussed below).

There is an app put out by the Moscow Patriarchate that provides one with the Lives of the Saints, the Troparia and Kontakia, and the Epistle and Gospel readings for every day of the year according to the Old Calendar. Since I usually have my Smart Phone with me, I try to go through at least these daily readings if I cannot perform the Rule above. I also carry a small 1662 Book of Common Prayer with me and try to read the Psalms for the day at work if I missed them in the Morning.

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I would be happy to agree with you, but then both of us would be wrong.

I am TERRIBLE at keeping a prayer rule. However, when I do it, I use either the Morning Prayers from Orthodox Daily Prayers (published by St. Tikhon's) or the Morning Prayers from the Jordanville Prayer Book. It is hard to say which book I like better because both of them contains some really nice prayers. I am also a great believer in abbreviating the prayer rule, and just saying one or two prayers with reverence and devout attention than trying to rush through things because I'm don't have enough time or I'm too tired.

After the customary three prostrations performed at the commencement of every rule of prayer: (1) God, be merciful to me a sinner. (2) God be gracious unto my sins and have mercy on me. (3) O Thou Who hast fashioned me, Lord, have mercy. I have sinned beyond measure, O Lord, forgive me. In one's cell a fourth prostration is added together with the prayer: My Lady, Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner. Then the following prayers are said:

O come, let us worship and fall down before Him, Christ the King and our God.

Psalm 50. Symbol.

First group. Then one hundred prayers: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner, with full prostrations for the first ten prayers, full bows for the next twenty prayers, and on the last, that is, the hundredth prayer, again a full prostration.

After this, the following Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos:

My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, by thy holy and all-powerful entreaties dispel from me, thy humble, wretched servant, despondency, forgetfulness, folly, carelessness, and all impure, evil, and blasphemous thoughts out of my wretched heart and my darkened mind. And quench the flame of my passions, for I am poor and wretched, and deliver me from my many cruel memories and deeds, and free me from all evil actions: for blessed art thou by all generations, and glorified is thy most honourable name unto the ages of ages. Amen.

At the end of this prayer a full prostration.

Second group. Then again one hundred Jesus Prayers in the same order as before with ten full prostrations and twenty full bows. On the last Jesus Prayer a full prostration and again the same prayer: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with a full prostration.

Third group. One hundred likewise as the first and second.

Fourth group. One hundred consisting of prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, save me a sinner. In this group of one hundred the first ten prayers are likewise made with full prostrations and the following twenty with full bows, the remaining without bows. The last and hundredth prayer is made with a full prostration, after which with a full prostration the prayer: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos.

Then fifty prayers: O Holy Angel of God, my Guardian, pray to God for me a sinner. On the first five prayers, full prostrations; on the following ten, full bows; the remaining thirty-four, without bows. Only on the last prayer a full prostration and again the prayer: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with a full prostration.

Then fifty prayers: All Saints, pray to God for me a sinner. On the first five prayers, full prostrations; on the following ten, full bows; the remaining thirty-four, without bows. Again the last prayer with a full prostration, after which is said the prayer: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with a full prostration. Then:

It is truly meet to call thee blessed, the Theotokos, the ever-blessed and all-immaculate and Mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, thee who without corruption gayest birth to God the Word,the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.

At the end of this prayer a full prostration.

After this: Glory to Thee, Christ God, our Hope, glory be to Thee. Glory. Both now. Lord, have mercy (3) and Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

On weekdays all of the above-mentioned bows and prostrations are performed. On the days of Pentecost, on days when there is the Polyeleos, on Forefeasts and for the duration of the Feasts, on days when the Great Doxology is chanted at Matins and in the church services full prostrations are dispensed with, in like manner in one's cell the full prostrations are replaced with full bows, as is also the case on all days throughout the year when there is a Vigil. On the last two days of Passion Week, for all of Bright Week, and from the twenty-fourth of December until the seventh of January, this cell rule is completely dispensed with, as is likewise the case on all Sundays throughout the year, even if the all-night Vigil has not been performed, but only Vespers and Matins, as is done in winter.

Morning begins with either the Morning Prayers from the Antiochian Pocket Prayer Book or the Pray Always app, or the Prayer Rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov if I'm having a bad week.

If I'm off work at Midday, I do the 6th hour from the Horologian or Pray Always in its entirety, but if I'm at work I sneak off to a dark corner of the freezer and do the Trisagion and the Troparia of the 6th hour.

Depending on my struggles during the week, I'll usually do an Akathist once during the week, break up the Paraklesis to the Theotokos into 4 parts so I do it every day with focus, Vespers from the HTM Horologian on Wednesday, Canon of Repentance on Friday, and the Order of Preparation for Communion on Saturday night.

At Night I do a General Intercession and then evening prayers from the Antiochian Prayerbook (most days) or Pray Always (if I sinned a lot that day)